The Cost of Love (3 page)

Charlotte wasn’t a great club-goer, meaning she’d been to one in her entire life, when Tiffany dragged her out on her twenty-first birthday. After that, she wasn’t keen to repeat the experience.

She’d spent the entire night shouting to be heard over the music and watching her friend, who with her oriental beauty and I’m-here-to-have-fun attitude was always popular, get hit on by just about every man in the place. Tiff told her the only reason Charlotte wasn’t being hit on too was because she was giving out leave-me-alone vibes. It might have been true, but being hit on made her feel extremely uncomfortable. She never knew what to say.

Eventually, Tiffany had hooked up with a gorgeous university student who she ended up dating for nine months, and Charlotte had caught a taxi home and gone to bed in the company of a good book.

Even though it was a Wednesday, Club Jupiter was packed, although it wasn’t a very big place to begin with. Jason kept hold of Charlotte’s hand as he led her through the crowd towards the bar.

He was wearing a long sleeved black top with a grey rose and skull design on the front. It fitted him very well, showing off his toned physique which, despite having only seen it the once the previous evening, seemed to be tattooed onto the inside of Charlotte’s eyelids. His black jeans also fitted him very well. As soon as they entered, she noticed several women looking in his direction. A couple of men looked in their direction too. She decided they had to be gay, because there was no way they’d be looking at her.

“What would you like?” he said when they reached the bar.

“Just a coke,” she replied. She didn’t drink much, but when she did she had a habit of making a fool of herself. Which was why she didn’t drink much.

Jason waved the bartender over. “Two cokes,” he said.

Charlotte turned to look around the room. A small stage at the far end was set up for the gig and a few posters dotted around the walls proclaimed how proud Club Jupiter was to be presenting up and coming band
Brakedown,
and they’d be onstage at nine. A pounding bassline blared from the sound system and the dancefloor in front of the stage was writhing with people.

The interior decorator had obviously had a thing for chrome. It was everywhere, reflecting the multicoloured lights sweeping over the room. Every non-chrome surface was shiny and black.

A young woman wearing a dress made of what appeared to be two pieces of string, a handkerchief and air, pushed past her and straight up to Jason. She laid her hand on his bicep and leaned forward, presumably to give him a prime view of her bust, which really wasn’t necessary as everyone in the club had one anyway, whether they wanted it or not.

Charlotte looked down at her skinny jeans and paisley patterned top. In comparison, she felt like a frump.

“I haven’t seen you in here before,” the woman purred at Jason. “And I definitely would have noticed.”

“I’m just here to see the band,” he replied, turning away to hand the bartender the money for the drinks.

The woman pressed herself up against him as he turned back. “Dance with me,” she said. It didn’t sound like a question.

Charlotte was normally a gentle, peaceful person, but right now she wanted to scratch out the woman’s eyes and make her eat them.

Jason backed away and moved to stand next to Charlotte, sliding his arm around her waist. “Sorry,” he said, “I’m with my girlfriend.”

A flutter shimmied up Charlotte’s spine. She had to stop herself from leaning against him and gazing up at him with a sigh.
Girlfriend.

The woman looked her up and down. “Her? No wonder you’re sorry.”

Jason looked furious and for a moment Charlotte thought he was going to say something. But then he turned his back on the barely dressed woman, took their drinks from the bar, and guided Charlotte away.

They found a vacant table and sat beside each other. After a few seconds of silence, Charlotte gave voice to her thoughts.

“What a bitch.”

He burst into laughter, slid his arm around her shoulder and kissed her cheek. “I couldn’t have said it better myself.”

The almost naked woman wasn’t the first to hit on Jason, despite the fact that he was very attentive to her and they were obviously together. Charlotte assumed they just thought he was out with his dull sister.

His response to each woman was the same, sliding his arm around her and telling them he was with her. It set her heart racing every time, to the point where she was actually looking forward to it happening.

“Stop everything! It’s well known that the singer always gets the hottest girls. So what are
you
doing with this loser?”

The gig was over and they were backstage, which in the small club meant a magnolia dressing room sparsely furnished with a mirror, a small table, two wooden chairs and a sofa with some suspicious looking stains. Charlotte watched, astounded, as the drop dead gorgeous lead singer of Brakedown approached her and held out his hand with a smile. When she took it, he rapidly turned her hand over and brought it to his lips, pressing a kiss onto the back.

“I’m Sam,” he said, winking.

She couldn’t help smiling. “Charlotte.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Charlotte,” he said, still holding onto her hand.

Jason slid his arm around her waist while extricating her hand from Sam’s. “Sorry, Sam, but Charlie has standards.”

“What’s she doing with you then?”

“Ahaha. Charlie, that’s Johnny.” He indicated a man with a goatee and his afro hair in a ponytail who waved at her while chugging back a litre bottle of spring water. Charlotte recognised him as the drummer. “Eric and Frank.” The guitarist and bass player, blond identical twins, both raised their hands at the same time and she had to stop herself from laughing. “And you’ve had the misfortune to meet Sam already.”

“I really enjoyed your music,” she said, and meant it. She’d even danced. She finally understood why people came to these places. “I can’t wait for when you’re wildly famous and I can boast to people that I met you.”

Johnny pointed at her with the almost empty plastic bottle. “You have excellent taste.”

“Would you like a CD?” one of the twins said. She was almost certain it was Eric. Although there was a chance it could have been Frank. He rummaged in a bag, pulling out a cardboard sleeved CD.

“Oh, yes, please,” she said, smiling. “Would it be too much to ask for you all to sign it?”

Frank (or Eric) pressed a hand to his heart, smiling. “A pretty girl wants my autograph. This is exactly why I joined a band.”

Charlotte giggled as the CD was passed around.

“You see, Sam,” Johnny said. “We
can
give them away.”

Sam shook his head and handed her the CD, his fingers brushing against hers as he smiled at her. Jason’s arm tightened around her, pulling her so close against his side they were almost melding.

“Don’t disillusion her,” Sam said. “She thinks we’re good.”

Charlotte laughed. “You
are
good.”

“I like you a lot,” Sam said, smiling, his gaze lingering on hers.

“Do we have any t-shirts left?” Frank (probably) said.

Eric returned to the bag.

“Rob couldn’t make it?” Johnny said. “Oh, I suppose he’s home taking care of...”

“No,” Jason said. “He couldn’t make it. But he said he’d come next time.”

Eric pulled out a plastic wrapped t-shirt. “Thanks in advance for wearing it,” he said, handing it to her. “We wear them, but it’ll get so much more attention if someone who looks like you does.”

Charlotte blushed, taking the package. She hadn’t had so many compliments since, well, forever. “Thank you,” she said, her voice soft.

“Well,” Jason said loudly, “we’d better get going. Great gig, guys.”

“It was nice to meet you all,” Charlotte said as he steered her towards the door. “And thanks for the CD and t-shirt.”

Sam caught up with them in the hallway outside the door.

“Can I ask,” he said, “are you two...?” He raised his eyebrows.

Jason draped his arm around her shoulders, frowning. “What does it look like?”

Charlotte looked up at him, her heart flipping.

Sam held his hands up in mock surrender. “Okay. No need to get all possessive.” He leaned forward to whisper loudly into her ear. “But when you dump him, and you will because he has an obnoxious personality and is as immature as he was when we first met when we were eight, give me a call.”

Uncertain if he was joking or not, Charlotte smiled and said nothing. Sam winked at her, clapped Jason on the shoulder, and returned to the dressing room.

“Sorry about that,” Jason said when they were outside and walking away from the club.

“About what?”

“Sam. He’s a good guy, but he’s not shy when he’s attracted to a woman. He can come on a bit strong.”

Charlotte smiled. “I didn’t mind. It was kind of nice, being flirted with.”

When Jason didn’t reply, she looked up at him. He was staring at the ground. “Would you like to go out with Sam?” he said, his gaze still down. “I didn’t think, but you and I, we’re not... I mean, if you’re interested in him, it’s not my business to...”

“Oh no,” she said quickly. “I’m not, he’s very handsome and everything, but I’m not interested. In that way. No.”

Now she was staring at the ground, embarrassed. She glanced at Jason. He was smiling at her.

“Okay,” he said.

She smiled back. “Okay.” The tension gone, she laughed, lifting her arms into the air and twirling around. “That was so much fun!”

“Even when women kept coming on to me when I was obviously with you?”

She took his hand, leading him along the street away from the club, her feet dancing to remembered music. “Especially then.” She tapped her finger on his chest. “You were awesome.”

He smiled. “I’m glad you had a good time. I don’t go to clubs much anymore. It was fun being there with you.”

She bit her lip and looked at the ground ahead of them as they walked. “At least you didn’t have any competition.”

“Are you kidding me? Do you have any idea how many guys I had to stare down who had their eye on you, even before the band? I was afraid to leave you alone.”

“You’re just teasing me now,” she said, smiling.

He stopped walking, gently tugging on her hand to turn her towards him. “I’m telling the truth. Whether you realise it or not, you are a beautiful, sexy woman.”

Charlotte gasped, staring up at him. There was no way he meant it. Was there?

Before she could reply, he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. The kiss was so unexpected that she didn’t move. Then it was over as abruptly as it had begun and she was left staring up at him in shock.

“Was that okay?” he said, searching her eyes.

He hadn’t moved away and she could feel the heat of his body radiating between them.

She drew in a shaky breath. “Yes. I mean, it was more than okay.” She dropped her gaze. “But I feel like you’re just doing this because you’ve been paid to be with me.”

He touched his fingertips to her chin and raised her face to look at him. “We made a deal that you have to believe what I tell you. So you have to believe me when I tell you that I like you a lot, and there is nothing I would rather do right now than kiss you. And I really hope that’s okay with you.”

She stared into his incredibly blue eyes while her stomach bounced around her abdominal cavity. “It really is,” she breathed.

“Good,” he said, smiling as he dipped his head and brushed his lips across hers again.

Despite his words, her brain kept insisting he was being paid to do it, for about five seconds. After that, his mouth somehow managed to suck every thought from her head.

She couldn’t remember closing her eyes, but she opened them again when his soft exploration of her lips came to a sudden halt. He looked down at her for a moment, his gaze darkening, flicking between her mouth and her eyes.

“Charlotte,” he whispered.

He bent his head again, capturing her lips in an insistent kiss. His arms tightened around her, pulling her closer. Almost of their own volition, her eyes closed and her mouth opened. Immediately, his tongue swept in, entwining with hers.

Forgetting why he was with her or what would happen once he was gone, Charlotte gave in to the passion burning at her core.

As she stood in the middle of the street, oblivious to everything else around her, being thoroughly kissed by the most wonderful man she’d ever met, Charlotte knew that for the first time in her life, she was in love.

_ _ _

“Were they good?”

“Hmm?”

Jason was only vaguely aware of Rob’s question as he closed the door behind him. Lost in the memory of holding Charlotte in his arms, he smiled and brushed the fingertips of his right hand across his still tingling lips. With his left, he dropped his keys absently into the bowl next to him. They missed and clattered onto the floor.